Final Fantasy IV: To Change the World
by sora945
Summary: A novelisation of the events in Final Fantasy IV. Cecil Harvey begins a struggle against the all-powerful Baron Empire and begins his long journey across the Blue Planet. With the help of a few others, he seeks to unite the other nations against Baron.
1. Prologue: The First Crystal

Final Fantasy IV – To Change the World

_Prologue – The First Crystal_

The Red Wings were approaching Mysidia. The airships soared across the sky lit up by the light of the two moons that shone brightly above, displaying the fine work of Baron's craftsmen in all its glory. Tearing across, they burst clouds and shocked birds – what could be a finer life than that of those men who stood on the deck far away from the trouble brewing below? The advent of the airship had marked the realisation of man's greatest dream - to become like birds and enter the purest element of them all.

The men on the deck extended the sails and skilfully drew out the wings below as they flew towards Mysidia which had been sighted a few hours ago. The fleet numbered more than a hundred and represented the pure power and strength that Baron's military possessed over the other nations. The Mysidians had absolutely no idea of the approaching danger and of the trouble that would come with its arrival. The men themselves were afraid of what they might be made to do to demonstrate their loyalty to Baron.

On the Invincible at the core of the fleet, Cecil Harvey, Captain of the Red Wings and Dark Knight of Baron stepped out onto the deck and smelt the musty magic-infused air. He carried his dark sword at his side always for fear that his inferiors may one day decide that he was no longer necessary. Clad in a set of Baron's finest dark armour, he strode towards the front of the ship. Cecil's mind had been severely damaged by the rigorous trials needed to pass to become a dark knight but he had succeeded, trained by the king of Baron himself. He had proved his loyalty time and time again to the royalty of Baron but still, the king refused to give Cecil his full trust and grant him the greatest honour a dark knight of Baron can have – Commander of the Red Army. So, here he was again on another mission where he would be forced to spill the blood of innocents in the name of the Red Wings and once more cast fear into those in the surrounding countries. The more Cecil killed, the easier it became and the worse it got when he returned home and faced his friends and loved ones.

The king had given him a new mission one month ago – to travel to the country of Magis and retrieve the crystal of water from its capital Mysidia. He was to not spare anybody who stood in his way. When Cecil had asked of their magic, the king merely laughed and told him that they were too weak-minded to fully master the power. The kingdom of Baron had grown strong enough to stand against any magic that they may cast.

The king had grown so powerful that he now only feared a single type of magic – that of the summoner. The ability to bring forth monsters from beneath the Blue Planet's surface and bend them to your will - he had always envied those who lived in Mist slightly. Eidolons, these creatures, had besieged the city of Baron not long ago and slaughtered many of its citizens. They had repelled the attack using the Red Wings (another battle that Cecil had shown his loyalty in). The king bent to a map of the central continent and carefully studied the position of the Mist valleys, wondering how he could destroy the mages. The king's loyal commander of the Samurai entered the throne room, a man by the name of Baigan.

"We have received contact from the Red Wings," he told the king. "Cecil assures us that Mysidia is in sight and the crystal of water will soon be securely on board the Invincible. He also writes that there have been increased monster sightings in the air – although I am sure that this is of no real consequence to your majesty."

"Thank you, Baigan," the king said. "I fear that those foolish mages will try to fight back against us. More pointless slaughter – if only they would simply surrender."

"The country of Magis is far away from here," Baigan told him. "I fear that the news of the kingdom's might and the creation of our airships is yet to reach the ears of those in Mysidia." The king laughed upon hearing this.

"Well, that won't be true for much longer," he told Baigan. "If Lord Cecil goes through with what I have commanded him to do then we will be on the lips of every person in the entire world."

"I sincerely hope so," Baigan said. "But only if he has the guts to go through with it. For a dark knight, the man is far too soft for the country's progress – begging your pardon, your majesty."

"No, you are quite right," the king agreed. "It is only a matter of time before he caves. When he returns, I will send him on a mission to truly test his loyalty. If he fails, we know what his punishment will be." Baigan nodded.

"Apologies, your majesty, but I am currently supervising the construction of Captain Pollendina's new ship. I think that it might be best if I was to return to him."

"Go there, Lord Baigan and I will take your advice into consideration. I only hope that we won't have to go to extreme measures in our quest for world conquest." Baigan opened the doors and exited the throne room. As they shut behind him, Baigan spoke aloud to himself.

"I think that perhaps we already have," he said and then hurried down the stone steps.

* * *

The Red Wings fired their cannons into the walls of Mysidia – watching them cave despite the presence of white mages sustaining protect spells around the city's perimeter. The core of the fleet descended, led by the Invincible, towards the square below as the main fighting force prepared to enter the city below.

Cecil slid his visor down over his eyes and then drew his sword, ready to eliminate anybody who stood in his way. The Red Wings leapt from their perches and shot down towards the streets below, landing with a crash in front of a large force of startled time mages. Cecil found himself faced with a barrage of slow spells and felt his body go heavy and his mind dizzy. Moving forward, he struck out against them and they clattered apart like rag dolls, smacking into the walls around the square.

The force regrouped and pushed forwards towards the sanctuary on the far side of the city where the crystal was being held. Moving as one, they darted through the streets, avoiding any black mages as the airships above bombarded the great buildings of the city with cannon balls. In the Ancient Library, glass smashed and tomes exploded to life as they were sent hurtling from the shelves. In the hallowed halls of the church, the few knights were crushed when a great stain glass window depicting the eidolon Bahamut came hurtling down towards them. In the inn, drunken mages were roused from their sleep and the air was soon thick with spells flying everywhere as they struck each other in their search for a foe that was not present.

The Elder left his house at the top of the hill and hurried down towards the sanctuary. He saw wounded mages down below and witnessed cannons blow most of the city to pieces. Crying in shame and fury, he burst through the doors and into the sanctuary where the most elite of the mages were waiting for him. A barrage of panicked voices hit him, asking questions to which he did not know the answers. The Elder raised his hand and the noise died down.

"Quickly!" the Elder told them. "We must secure the crystal! These fools from Baron do not know what they are doing."

The mages began to barricade the sanctuary, afraid of the terror that was rapidly approaching from the outside. Many stockpiled ethers from the stores below in preparation for a battle. The Elder oversaw all that was happening and when the sanctuary was secure, he led a few of the mages into the crystal room in the back of the building. The doors were sealed and the mages moved to positions in preparation for battle.

Witnessing the destruction dealt to the city, Cecil called off the airship assault and contacted Biggs and Wedge, telling them to meet the ground force outside the sanctuary once they had the water crystal. They began their march up the hill towards the building that dominated the whole of the town, passing wounded mages who made final attacks on the Red Wings and many already dead. Cecil could not help being affected by the scene around him. What had these people done to wrong them? Why would the king want this?

They penetrated the walls of the fortress easily and the mages within stood little chance with their magic in such a confined space. The spells struck metal and stone, missing the knights that they were aimed at. Leaving many wounded, Cecil and the others hacked down the door towards the chamber where the crystal was.

Inside, they found themselves in a huge vault and face-to-face with the Elder of Mysidia. He blasted the Red Wings with a firaga spell and for the first time, they felt the power of magic that the city was supposed to hold. Cecil put up his hand and halted their advance, waiting for the spells to stop. The air cleared and the Elder took a step forward.

"Come no further towards the crystal, dark knight!" he roared. "Baron shall not have our crystal! Why have you come here and destroyed our city? Why do you now seek the power of the crystals? Answer me, fool!"

"You do not understand," Cecil told him calmly. "The crystal is the rightful property of the Baron Empire. Hand it over and we will not hurt you as well. The crystal holds secrets that you Mysidians could not possibly begin to imagine." The Elder's face contorted into a snarl and he stepped up towards the platform where the crystal was.

"I know all about this crystal," the Elder said, stroking the delicate object. "I have nurtured and cherished it for all my life and I have taken care of it since I was a child. I have researched the truth about the crystals in the Ancient Library – do not think me to be clueless about what they hold."

"We have no choice," Cecil sighed. "Red Wings, prepare to pick us up."

Cecil drew his sword and marched forward, swatting the spells that shot towards him away with his sword. He approached the altar and then raised his fist to the air. It began to burn with a dark power and very soon, the same power spread to Cecil's entire body. The Elder conjured a firaga spell but he was too late as Cecil sent the man hurtling across the room and into the wall.

Cecil stepped forward and drew the crystal of water from the altar, feeling and sudden cool and refreshing aura surround him. The room began to dim as he strode back across to the other Red Wings and they left. The Elder crawled across towards them but he was too weak to cast any more spells.

Seizing a few mages as they left the sanctuary and dragging them on board the airships, the Red Wings prepared to take off. Cecil strode onto the deck of the Invincible where Biggs and Wedge were waiting for him. He could see that his two companions were upset. They nodded to Cecil but he did not nod back.

The Red Wings rose away from the smoking city of Mysidia below as the mages crawled out from under debris and desperately tried to help the others out as well. They stood and watched the might of Baron leave as Cecil stood on the deck of the Invincible and watched the ruins of Mysidia below get smaller and smaller and smaller until they were barely visible.

The dark knight didn't feel any better.

He never would.


	2. Chapter 1: The Dark Knight Falls

Final Fantasy IV – To Change the World

_Chapter One – The Dark Knight falls_

The twins Palom and Porom sat atop the Mysidian Cradle and watched the Red Wings fly away into the distance. Too young to help in the fighting but too proud to cower away inside the building, they had come out to watch the devastation of their city at the hands of Cecil. Palom had hoped to catch a glimpse of the legendary dark knight but he had seen something but smashing buildings and rapturous airships. Now, he climbed down from his perch and approached his twin sister who was sitting on the other side of the rooftop.

"What a display!" he called to her. "I wish we could have been down there to help them – perhaps we could have defeated that dark knight." Porom frowned and tugged on her ponytail. Her brother always annoyed her in his complete lack of understanding as to how the world worked. Clambering down, she smacked him with her staff and shook her head.

"We've just seen our elders blown to pieces by those ships," she cried, "and all you can say is that you wish that you had been closer so that you could have seen them dying better."

"That's not what I mean," sulked Palom. "I just meant that I wish I could have been involved in defending Mysidia!" He swung his staff and shot a cast of fire out across the rooftops and into the distance. Porom sighed.

"We had better find the Elder," she said. "They will likely need the help of Mysidia's most powerful twin mages in order to fix the damage that those evil men from Baron have done to the city."

"Yeah!" said Palom and he dashed down the staircase and into the cradle. Porom paused for a moment to look once more upon what Mysidia had become. She brushed a tear from her eye and then hurried down the stairs after her brother.

* * *

One month later, Kain Highwind watched the Red Wings fly down towards the capital of the world – the city of Baron. Filled with bustling bodies as tourists and citizens alike scanned the streets of the huge city for signs of the ancient civilisation that Baron so proudly upheld, the buildings towered far into the sky above and there were many unique senses that were brought to life when one entered the city. Kain had lived in Baron all his life and knew all that there was to know about the city and its complex structure that confused many visitors. He knew the secret passages that spanned the waterways beneath the streets, the hidden vaults holding powerful treasure within the castle and many important people that were part of the running of the capital. He was not the head of Baron's dragoons for nothing.

Stepping down from the ramparts of the castle, he strolled towards the top of the gate where the airships were coming to land. Inside, he saw Baigan and his knights preparing to welcome Lord Cecil back to the castle. Kain smiled to himself as he remembered his last conflict with the dark knight – they had duelled in the castle's courtyard and the egocentric Cecil had revelled in his victory over Kain. He would not win again – Kain had promised himself that and so had been training every day since in preparation for another training section with Cecil.

The Red Wings were now carrying supplies through the gate and meeting with their fellow soldiers once more. Baigan shook Cecil's hand and beckoned him inside the castle for a meeting with the king who was anxious to view the crystal of water with his own eyes. Kain did not know why the mission to obtain the crystal was so important but he had heard stories in the taverns of the city.

Unlike the dark knights who were revered in the city because of their reputation for ruthlessness and brutality, the dragoons were highly respected and welcomed into the buildings in the hope of hearing about the situation at Baron Castle and learning what the king's plans were. Kain spent many hours of the evening in and around the city but he never touched a drop of alcohol for fear of revealing any of the king's secrets. The reason that Kain walked the city was to hear information about what the people thought, why they thought it and what he could do about it.

Not long ago, he had met an elderly sage in the Dancing Dagger – he had come from the deserts to the west in search of a powerful spell. He had been drinking in the corner with his daughter for an hour when Kain noticed him. They soon got talking and the sage was surprised when Kain asked him about Mysidia and its crystal.

"That crystal is very, VERY important to those who live in the city," the sage told Kain. "It runs their entire way of life and carries a dangerous force within it. Stay out of matters like that, m'boy." Before, he could say anymore his daughter had emerged from the shadow that she was lurking in and whisked her drunken father away. However, the conversation had made Kain concerned about the mission that the Red Wings had been sent on.

Kain leapt off the ramparts and shot down to the gate below, executing one of the most basic dragoon skills – the jump. At a very young age, he had been educated in the physics of the jump and how to maximise the potential distance that he could move in the air. He had been taught how to take off and how to land, how to aim precisely, how to ensure that the spear dealt maximum damage upon landing and how to adjust the speed of the movement through the air. Now, he was a master dragoon and the best out of all of those in Baron.

Kain approached Biggs and Wedge who were instructing the soldiers carrying the items from the airships to the castle. They recognised the dragoon and soon came down to meet him, anxious to tell him about the events in Mysidia.

"How are you faring?" asked Kain to the two knights.

"Physically, fine," Biggs told him. "But mentally – not so well. We were forced to choose between failure to execute the king's orders or the complete destruction of their beautiful city. We couldn't disobey the king." Kain frowned and turned away from the two for a second. He once again wondered whether he was fighting for the right side and whether this time the king had gone too far – he decided that there must be very good reasons for anybody to go this far when taking a crystal.

"I will speak to the king," he told Biggs and Wedge. "I will see what I can do to help plead your case that these actions are evil but I dare not speak out too strongly for fear of losing my own position and holding here."

"We are going to go to the Red Wings' quarters," Biggs told Kain. "Do come and join us for a drink later – we should probably catch up on the situation here." Kain nodded and walked away, through the gate. He walked across the courtyard and heaved open the double doors leading through into the vast atrium of the castle. Knights saluted as the dragoon walked past and the white mages nodded to him with great respect. Kain climbed to the top of the wide staircase that led up to the king's throne room and approached the door where soldiers were waiting outside.

"Is Lord Cecil still speaking with the king?" Kain asked the knights and they nodded gravely. He heard the sound of raised voices from inside and turned to the knights. "It seems to be more like an argument – I hope the captain of the Red Wings is not doing anything stupid."

"I don't know, Lord Kain," one of the knights said. "It sounds as though there might be trouble for him though – the king sounds very angry." Kain frowned and then pushed through and into the room, unable to hold his silence any longer.

Cecil was standing on the red carpet before the king with a look of pure dismay upon his face. The king stood at full height in front of his throne with a withering look upon his face that Kain had never seen in all his years as a dragoon in Baron. At the side of the throne stood Baigan, who was looking down upon the dark knight with a look of disdain. They turned to look at Kain as he entered and stepped forward. He bowed and then spoke quickly.

"Your majesty, I mean no offense but surely you cannot punish Lord Cecil when he has done no wrong," Kain said. "He has fulfilled your orders and brought you the crystal of water – why do you now speak against he who has shown his loyalty time and time again over the last decade?"

"Kain..." Cecil said as he realised that his dragoon friend would not be able to escape without punishment for the intrusion. The king stepped down from his throne and now stood before both Cecil and Kain.

"So you would stand against me as well?" he questioned. "How dare you barge in here and question my judgement?! I am the king of Baron and I am your superior – do you think I would take action without carefully planning and considering it first? You are both fools and I hereby strip you of your command of the Red Wings, Cecil. I think that you should both embark on a mission to demonstrate your full loyalty to the cause of the city and that I can trust you to take charge of your men once again." Baigan stepped forward to stand by the king.

"What about the Mist mission, sire?" he asked the king. "We need to send somebody to do it and these two provide the perfect opportunity to ensure that it is executed smoothly and efficiently without the unnecessary complications that could arise if we were to send a few grunts to complete the task."

"I see you point, Lord Baigan," the king said. "It seems like a good decision – I will send you on a mission to deliver a signet to the village of Mist. I trust that this is not too much to ask of your services and will suitably test your loyalty, I think. You will leave in the morning and not return until the mission is complete and I have had a chance to consider your futures in the city. Until then, you are both dismissed and I suggest you make your preparations tonight for you will have to leave early."

"Thank you, your majesty," Cecil said to the king and he and Kain both left the throne room. The king retreated back into his seat and turned towards Baigan.

"We have done well," he told the knight. "This is sure to reveal the true colours of both of them. I believe that we may see some resistance in the not so far distant future and I want to know who to keep close...and who to not keep at all."

"Of course, your majesty," Baigan responded. "I just hope that in the end , enough of Baron's knights will remain loyal to you."

"I think we both know that there is more than once way to build an army," the king told him and smiled as he rose from his throne. "I must rest now, Lord Baigan. I suggest you do too. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow when Cecil and Kain are gone." The king walked from the room and upstairs to his tower. Baigan frowned and felt his head for a few seconds before glancing around and hurrying away.

* * *

Cecil and Kain were sitting in the tactics room of Baron Castle as they figured out their approach to the mission given to them.

"We can either travel by sea or through the mountains," Kain told Cecil. "If we travel by sea, we will have to go all the way around and through the desert to reach the valley of Mist and it will be a far longer journey. However, the route through the mountains is more dangerous and I have heard stories of strange monsters being sighted near the caves."

"Monsters..." Cecil pondered. "We saw a great many on our journey to and from Mysidia – many new and more dangerous. I wonder what their appearance bodes."

"Never mind that," Kain replied. "We should concentrate on this mission now and then we will be able to deal with other problems later."

"I suppose you're right," Cecil said. "We should head through the caves – it will give a bit of battle training and we will have the chance to wipe out these monsters while also taking less time to reach Mist and deliver the ring."

"Either way it's late," Kain said to Cecil. "We should get some rest and then be ready to leave first thing in the morning. An early start means an early return to Baron later. I am sure the king will restore your position," Kain said as he saw the sad look return to Cecil's face. "Once this is over, everything will be just back to the way it-"

The doors opened and a knight came in. "Lady Rosa is here and wishes to see Lord Cecil." Cecil suddenly brightened up and stood up.

"I will go now, Kain," he told the dragoon. "We will convene in the morning and move out?"

"Yes, as soon as the sun rises," Kain replied. "I will see you then." Cecil nodded and left the room. The white mage who had been waiting outside stood up and approached him.

"I am glad to see that you are okay," she said. "I hear that the king was angry at you earlier – why?"

"In Mysidia, we attacked people who did no wrong to us to steal a crystal for an unknown reason," Cecil told her. "We left the city in ruins and soiled the name of the Red Wings. So, I asked the king what could possibly be worth this price and he grew angry. He has stripped me of my captaincy and I must depart on a mission to Mist in the morning, Rosa."

"Oh Cecil," Rosa said. "You did the right thing, you know that. Even if the king doesn't understand the lives of the ordinary people, I am sure that he will forgive you soon enough."

"I hope so," said Cecil. "I don't know what I will do if he tells me to go on another mission like this one. I cannot disobey him yet I cannot speak out against him." Rosa sighed and placed her head upon his shoulder.

"We should speak more later in your quarters," she said, seeing the knights eagerly listening into the conversation. "I have a few duties to finish and then I will come and see you again."

"Right," Cecil said and they parted once more. Cecil walked through the now empty halls of the castle and passed outside into the left courtyard where the airships were now parked. On the highest platform stood the incredible Enterprise which was to be the new head of the Red Wings and of Baron's fleet. The workers were still hammering wood onto its skeletal structure in the moonlight, led by Cid Pollendina who had invented the airship in the first place. Upon seeing Cecil below, he smiled and clambered down from the wooden structures built to hold the ships and approached his friend.

"You're finally back!" he cried and patted the dark knight on the back. "It's good to see ya again. Rosa was worried sick about ya!" Cid laughed and then noticed the sad look on Cecil's face.

"Something wrong?" he asked. "You look as down in the dumps as my prototype airship when I tried to fly it!"

"It's the king, Cid," Cecil told the engineer. "He no longer trusts me to run the Red Wings and has demoted me."

"What?!" cried Cid and then laughed long and loud. "They won't find as good a commander as you anywhere! In a few days, they'll be coming back to ya and begging you to command the fleet for them. This will all blow over in a few days, believe me."

"Thanks, Cid," Cecil smiled. "I hope you're right." Cid looked back up towards the airship and sighed.

"As for me, I ain't so sure," he told Cecil. "The king is asking me to build ships with more firepower and I'm not sure I can do it. I don't want to endorse what happened in Mysidia and see it again but I also can't disobey him. It's certainly a mess. Still." He turned back to the dark knight.

"I'd love to stay and chat some more but I must leave in the morning and so want to get some rest," Cecil told Cid.

"Quite right," he said. "I've got a daughter of me own that I must be getting back to. Well, good to see ya Cecil and good luck with your mission." Cid nodded and walked away back towards the town and the streets below. Cecil sighed and headed into the tower where the Red Wings slept.

* * *

The Red Wings were lying in the tavern below the castle sprawled out across the tables as they desperately tried to forget what they had done to the poor people of Mysidia and the morals that they had broken in destroying most of the city. Kain leant against the wall by the bar as he talked to the barman about his mission ahead.

"This can only spell trouble," the barman told him. "You know our history with Mist and with the king's current attitude...well."

"I agree with you," Kain told him. "But how can we stand against the king's orders? I don't know much about the people in Mist but after their defeat at the battle for Baron, I doubt they pose much of a threat to us."

"That's not how the king thinks," the barman told him. "Anybody who can deal damage to Baron will in his mind. If he doesn't control an invincible force, he might as well not control any force at all."

"Exactly," Kain said and then glanced around before leaning in towards the bartender. "If we were to stand against Baron per se, do you think the people would support the rebellion."

"If they learn what is going on then yes," the bartender said. "If they don't, I expect they will be shocked and thrown into panic."

"Then we should tell them, shouldn't we?" Kain said. "And that's why I've come to you. Can you help to spread rumours to the other taverns about the king's actions and his brutality? Just small rumours, nothing more. If we throw doubt into their minds and then the soldiers of Baron rise up together to stand against their king, surely they will see it for the greater good?"

"I understand what you mean," the barman replied. "However, it is not as simple as you make it sound. Over the years, the king has been very good to the army and to the city – they are now very loyal to him and it will take a lot to break that trust. Even Cecil did not doubt a word that the king said, despite his closeness to the man, until this incident."

"It will be an arduous fight for sure," Kain told him. "But this destruction cannot go on. I am contacts in Mysidia who constantly told me how beautiful the city was. They spoke of its schools and churches, its society built on knowledge and the towering spires that can be viewed from the top of the hill there. Now, they are all dead and most of that beauty is gone."

"I'll see what I can do for you," the barman said to Kain. "But I'm not promising anything yet until we have the support of the majority of Baron's forces." Kain nodded and then looked towards the sleeping Red Wings.

"They are certainly tormented and I sincerely hope that no more of the force end up broken as they are now. That would be far more of a disaster than anything the king could possibly do to us."

* * *

Cecil sat in his quarters and thought about the situation that fate had placed him in. He knew that he could not and would not stand against the king. The man had raised him all his life and shown him kindness that no other had. He remembered how he had been found in the wilds as a baby and trained to be a dark knight, showing a strong resilience to darkness that no other man could. The king had supported him throughout and kept Cecil close to him.

However, he also felt that the king was no longer the same man and that he had changed so much that it would be wrong not to disobey his orders eventually. Cecil found himself being torn up by this conflict inside and constantly reminded of the acts that he had committed in Mysidia and the evil that he had wreaked upon the poor defenceless population. The door now opened and Rosa walked in to the room. Seeing Cecil deep in thought, she silently sat down next to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You're acting very strange. You're going to do something bad in Mist, aren't you?" Cecil was suspicious of why they should deliver a ring to Mist and wondered whether they would be helping agents of Baron in the destruction of another city. Rosa tried to make eye contact with him but Cecil deliberately looked away for fear of revealing his doubt in his eyes.

"Nothing's wrong," he told her. "Everything's fine." Rosa tried to meet his gaze but once more he refused to face her.

"Cecil, look at me," Rosa said. "You are a good man, you have done no wrong!"

"I am a dark knight," Cecil told her. "This is my fate, to slaughter the weak, to aid agents of evil and to eliminate anybody in my way as I search for new selfish ways to enhance the power of my own country. I do not care for others because they don't care for me. All fear me and are repulsed by me. I have done everything wrong. Soon, I won't feel remorse for my actions anymore." Rosa looked at him shocked and then took his hand.

"We both know that that would never happen," she told him. "The Cecil I love would never act like this!" Cecil sat up with a jolt and then finally met her gaze. Rosa moved in to embrace him and held him there for a few seconds before they parted.

"You're a good man," she told him. "You have a great light inside that allows you to resist the darkness and you are strong enough to maintain that light. Believe in yourself as I believe in you. Everyone is counting on you and we all need you here in Baron...I need you here." Rosa stood up and walked away from Cecil who was still sitting on the stool.

"Good luck on your journey," she told him. "Come back in one piece." Rosa walked out of the room and down the stairs, away from the tower. When she reached the bottom, she started to cry silently as she walked out and across the courtyard. Cecil was now standing at the window and watching as he saw her body move away through the night.

"Thank you, Rosa," he said. "But I know what I've become – as a dark knight, we can never be together." Cecil did not bother to change clothes. He climbed into his bed and fell asleep as the sounds of Baron echoed all around him.

He heard the tinkering as the engineers worked on the airships, the sound of laughter that still filled the pubs at this time of night, the sound of blacksmiths working on weapons and armour, the noise of snoring from the Red Wings below, the gunfire of airships ripping Mysidia to pieces and then finally a voice far away bearing into the skull of somebody somewhere in the castle.

Then, he heard nothing.


End file.
